How to embroider a landscape in ribbon embroidery – Chapter 2

Good morning, it’s freezing here in Cape Town, we have had such good rains and there is snow on the mountains and Capetonians are ecstatic.

We were all planning for day zero, “Day Zero” when Cape Town was set to turn off its water, but now that the dams are filling up nicely, and they are half-full and everyone is so relieved! We will not forget this frightening experience and I imagine that we will never take water for granted again. It has been an awfully stressful time for all of us, it really has. Thankfully, living so close to Table Mountain, we were fortunate enough to find a good source of clean mountain water underground, so if it happens again, at least we will have enough water.

This is a picture of the waterfall on the mountain above my house, the sound of the flowing water all around is too wonderful for words. Can you see the waterfall?

Click on the image to enlarge

This is the stream at the end of our road…. It’s an awesome sight!

Latest update – A New Kit.

I have a new kit for you from the Inspirational Quotes series and you are welcome to read more about it here. Enjoy!

…. And here is the second chapter of my online lesson where I show you, step-by-step, how to embroider a landscape series…

How to embroider a landscape in ribbon embroidery – Chapter 2

Today I am going to show you how to embroider the flowers towards the back of the Pink Delight design. See Chapter 1where I showed you last time how to make the trees and stems and the edges of the lawn. It is important to work mostly from the back towards the front when working with silk ribbon. This way the ribbon stitches won’t be damaged by hard-working hands!

We will start with step A…

Step A. Make looped flowers. Click on the image to enlarge…

Thread up with the 2mm ribbon no. 56 on a size 22 Chenille needle.

The yellow flowers are formed with loop stitch. Work over a spare tapestry needle (or similar object) and make loops as shown below.

Click on the image to enlarge

Make several loops on the needle before removing the needle to make more loops nearby. This way the stitches won’t pull out of shape as the adjacent one is made. Fill up the area as shown below and then thread up with the 118 yellow thread (one strand) and make a knot at the long end. Come up at the base of a loop and make a small stab stitch to secure each loop so that it won’t pull out of shape. At the same time, use the stitch to “show” the loop in which direction you would like it to lie. In this case, the loops would be facing upwards as shown.

With the same thread (one strand) make a few single knotted stitches between the ribbon loops and add some French knotsas well. Wrap your thread two or three times around your needle.

Click on the image to enlarge

With the same yellow ribbon, make a few ribbon stitches for the shrub below the loops. Make the ribbon stitches loose-fitting/puffed by pushing the ribbon up a little as you pierce the ribbon. You can also work over a spare tapestry needle as shown in the stitch diagram.

Step B. Make the green leaves and yellow flowers

Step B. Make the green leaves and yellow flowers

Thread up with 1 strand of 4045 green thread and make loose French knots to form the green leaves between the red roses.

Wrap thread two or three times around your needle and keep your tension very loose.

Hint: To form loose, frilly knots, be sure not to tighten the wraps around the needle before taking it to the back of your work. Hold the loose wraps when you take the needle and thread to the back and you will see how they make lovely circular shapes. Ideal for filling in background detail.

Change to one strand of the golden yellow (118) and make long yellow grass-like flowers in single-knotted stitch.

Make the loops first, secure them at the base as shown in the diagram of the stitch and then cut each loop. Insert the sharp point of your needle into the cut threads and swipe the needle through the fibre to make a fluffier stitch.

Step C. Make the Red Roses

Thread up with 4mm silk ribbon no. 58 and form the red roses with Twirled Ribbon Rose technique.

… and this is an illustration of the steps to follow. Click on the image to enlarge.

Gently pull the needle at the back of your work until a little rose is formed. The rose will be secured properly a little later.

Come up to make a rose alongside.

Hint: Because of the twirls, check the back of your work to make sure all the ribbon has been pulled through. Loops tend to form at the back which wastes ribbon and it’s untidy as well.

With one strand of the yellow 118 thread, make the golden yellow stamens in the centre of the rose.

Make a French knot, wrapping thread three times around your needle and add a few more knots if you like.

Add more leaves

Thread up with one strand of the apple green 729 thread make light green leaves between the red roses.

Use loose French knots as you did before, wrapping thread two or three times around your needle.

Make the pink flowers above the red roses.

Thread up with the 4mm ribbon no. 37 and make the pink petals above the red roses with loose/puffed ribbon stitch.

With the pale yellow Rajmahal thread (no. 261) add loose French knots in between the pink petals, as you did before.

Hint: For an interesting effect, use 1 strand of the yellow Rajmahal (261) thread and 1 strand of the Maxi green thread (729) on the same needle. Keep the knots quite frilly by not tightening the thread too tight around your needle.

Change to two strands of the no. 340 (salmon pink) thread, make French knots to the right of the red roses.

Wrap thread three times around your needle. Add green French knots in between with two strands of 729 thread.

Then, using one strand of the 729 green thread, add long single-knotted stitcheswhich can be cut and trimmed as you see fit.

Hint: Thread up with one strand of 729 green and one strand of 261 pale yellow thread on the same needle and do the same as above. Then use 1 strand of 118 yellow and 1 strand of 729 green on the same needle and repeat.

Trim and fluff the stitches as you like.

Make the hedges

Use the green woolly fibre and tease it out to form a thin layer. Place on top of the hedge on the left-hand side.

With the 729 thread, make tiny stab/straight stitches here and there to secure the fibre and use the sharp point of your needle to gently pull a little bit of the fibre over the stitch. Then, using the needle, gently open some of the areas where you made the branches in chapter 1.

In part 3 we will pack yellow fibre in the kit for you to place on the top and along the side of the hedge. When you receive the kit, add a strip of yellow fibre on the top edge and the side, as shown above.

Repeat for the hedge on the right-hand side and place the green fibre as you did before. Later, when you open the kit for part 3, add the yellow fibre along the top and side in the same way. If you like, you could add a few French knots and single-knotted stitches in pink and yellow thread to cover the lower edge of the hedge.

In the next chapter, I will show you how to add more red roses and how to make the flowers in step C, D, E and F

Steps C, D, E and F…

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will have as much fun as I am having! It’s a lovely piece to make.

*-* If you missed the first chapter of this online lesson, have a look here for information about how to follow this lesson step-by-step in your own time, whenever you feel like doing something creative. It’s fun! Chapter 3 is here.

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